Deputies: Marysville man hits toddler, says 'she hit me first'

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MARYSVILLE, Wash. -- A convicted felon and registered sex offender accused of attacking a 2-year-old girl with a fly swatter said he did so because the toddler "hit him first," according to Snohomish County sheriff's deputies.

Deputies responded to a home in an unincorporated area of Marysville Wednesday at 10 p.m. after getting a call about a man assaulting a child.

When they arrived, a resident at the home told deputies that a fellow resident, Frank Moore, had hit a small child with a fly swatter.

The girl's father told deputies Moore hit the girl "really hard" for no apparent reason, which caused her to cry out in pain.

The father said he didn't actually see the attack, but heard a loud "swap" coming from across the room and then heard the toddler scream out in pain.

The father said he ran into the living room and confronted Moore, who said he hit the girl because "she hit him first," according to deputies.

When deputies tried to question Moore about the incident, they say he barricaded himself in his room and turned up the volume on his television.

Deputies eventually convinced him to come out, but he wouldn't give them consent to look in his room. From the outside, the deputies say they could see a fly swatter on Moore's bed.

Moore, who stands 6'3" tall and weighs roughly 220 pounds, was arrested and is now facing a felony charge of third degree assault of a child.

Deputies say Wednesday's incident wasn't the first time Moore has been violent.

The registered sex offender is a suspect in two assault cases from 2012. Deputies call Moore "a danger to the community and the household were he resides."